Employment pathways and wage progression for mothers in low-skilled work: evidence from three British datasets

Bastagli, Francesca and Stewart, Kitty
(2011)
Employment pathways and wage progression for mothers in low-skilled work: evidence from three British datasets.
CASEbriefs,
CASEbrief30.
Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, The London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.

Abstract

This CASEbrief reports on the findings of recent research examining the employment pathways followed by mothers entering low-skilled work. The project was originally framed under a Labour Government which placed considerable emphasis on encouraging women back into work when their children were relatively young (pre-school age), first through tax credits and childcare subsidies and subsequently with greater compulsion. A central justification underlying the provision of greater financial support to mothers in employment than to those staying at home was the assumption – frequently expressed in government documents – that even a low-skilled job was a stepping-stone to improved prospects, with a long-run pay-off both for mothers and for the Treasury. We wanted to know how justified this assumption was: how often did mothers’ low-skilled work result in stable employment and progression up the earnings distribution out of low pay?